Planning a School Ball

If you fail to plan – you plan to fail

Planning a huge event like a High school ball, prom or formal requires lots of time and good organisational skills. You shouldn’t let the planning of your school ball take time away from important study time.

Here’s a 6-Point plan that you can follow to get you started…

1/ Find a responsible Adult.

A “responsible adult” is someone like a Teacher, Year Advisor or Parent. This should be someone who has had at least some form of organisational experience in the past. This person will be the one who will be checking over, and signing official documents like Terms & Conditions, Booking Forms, Contracts and so on. A “responsible adult” should NOT be a friend, older sibling or stranger who has just recently turned 18.

2/ Form a Committee.

There will be quite a few decisions that will need to be made. It’s best to have a small group of “switched-on” buddies that can act as a team. Firstly – the number should be at least 5 or 7 people. An odd number is best so there’s no stalemate when it comes time to vote on anything. This way every decision will be made on the spot and there’s no time wasted. Time is precious! You’ll find that out as you go. Make sure your “responsible adult” is on the Committee too.

3/ Elect a Leader.

Every team needs to have a leader. Appoint one by whatever means you find fair. The head of the Committee will be responsible for keeping track of ALL paperwork and details. They’ll be the one who divides up any tasks and keeps the Committee up to date with the way things are going. Ideally, your “responsible adult” would be a very good choice but that’s up to you.

4/ Invite your School to get involved.

Your School, believe it or not, is a marvellous set of resources that may be just waiting for you to tap into. Firstly, talk to your year advisor. See if he / she can approach the School’s officials and ask for help on your behalf. If you don’t have an advisor, talk directly to the Principal. Some Schools are only too willing to lend a hand if they are shown how responsibly you approach the process of planning an event like a School Ball They can offer guidance on complex problems; act as a collection point for Ball ticket monies. Make use of a newsletter or publication the School issues periodically this may be a great advertising point to get the word out to your fellow students about the Ball.

5/ Open a bank account.

It’s important that you manage your money really carefully. A major event like a School Ball can cost upwards of $40,000.00 depending on what you book and how many guests end up on your list.

The money will need to be secured while you’re adding to it so a bank account makes good sense. Some schools will make use of their own bank account or have one on hand from previous years. Almost any bank, building society or credit union will be happy to open a basic savings account for you on the spot and it’s a good idea to have a minimum of 2 signatories to withdraw any money. Ideally one of them should be your “responsible adult”. Having more than one signature required to do anything with the funds prevents anyone accessing the money without the approval of the Committee. When you begin selling tickets to your Ball, the money should be regularly deposited into your account.

6/ Talk to your year.

It’s really important to keep your year informed about the decisions the committee is making. They will, after all, be the ones you expect to buy tickets.

Getting them excited about the formal from the beginning is the best way to make sure they all buy their tickets early and save you chasing them when deadlines approach.